Integration of a vacuum cavity into numerous electronic devices, such as micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) devices and the like, enables the performance of the device to be improved. MEMS devices generally range in size from about 20 micrometer (μm) to about a millimeter (mm) and can be combined with digital driving and/or detection cores like microprocessors to form a monolithic MEMS or can include a microprocessor with several other components, such as micro-sensors (e.g., pressure sensors, inertial sensors, and/or the like), and that interact with the surroundings and can be encapsulated in the vacuum cavity to enhance performance. However, the encapsulation of various components/elements of the device in a vacuum gives rise to a number of challenges, such as preservation of the vacuum condition with time and the quality of the encapsulated atmosphere.
The use of getter materials to adsorb or getter gases is a well-known technique for improving the performance of electronic devices that have a substantially sealed cavity for containing one or more components/elements of the device in a vacuum condition environment. In particular, the getter material(s) can be activated (e.g., by exposure to heat) to form a porous matrix that captures (e.g., absorb and/or adsorb) numerous gases with which they are in contact, for example, by surface adsorption and/or by absorbing and reacting with the gases to form an oxide, a hydride, or the like. In this way, gases that may be desorbed from other surrounding materials of the electronic device and/or that are produced during fabrication of the electronic device can be captured by the getter material to help maintain the vacuum condition in the substantially sealed cavity by absorbing and/or adsorbing these gases. Unfortunately, current approaches for determining and/or monitoring if the getter material(s) is functioning properly to produce and/or maintain the vacuum condition in the electronic device are complex, requiring either destructive chemical analysis, designated circuitry, or special gauge arrangements incorporated into the electronic device.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide electronic devices with substantially sealed cavities, which may provide a vacuum condition environment, and getter materials in which the performance of the getter material for producing and/or maintaining the vacuum condition in the substantially sealed cavity can be more practically evaluated and/or monitored compared to current approaches, and methods for fabricating such electronic devices. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.